Mayoral Candidate Bill de Blasio is flanked, from left, by Teamsters Joint Council 16 Trustee Thomas Gesualdi, and President George Miranda; President Gregory Floyd; and JC 16 Trustee Lou Smith.

The advent of change for the better is in the air. It’s an exciting and meaningful time, especially for public employees, as we mobilize to get out the vote for our Democratic mayoral candidate, Bill de Blasio, in the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

We have been listening carefully and watching closely as candidates vie for an extraordinary number of openings for elected officials in city government during this election cycle, including a new mayor, comptroller, public advocate, four new borough presidents, and about half of the City Council seats.

The recent primary results helped narrow the field and favored many of our Council endorsements. It also resulted in a clear frontrunner for mayor in de Blasio, a Democrat, whose strong progressive platform will best advance the interests of Local 237 members and the Labor Movement.

Patricia Stryker, recording secretary, Local 237, takes a photograph while someone behind her holds up a de Blasio poster as the audience applauds the candidate.

“I’m proud to declare my enthusiastic support for Bill de Blasio,” said President Gregory Floyd, “the mayoral candidate who is committed to bringing back New York City’s middle class. I also thank Bill Thompson, whose run for mayor I initially endorsed for his dedication to improving the lives of city workers.”

It has been 24 years since New York City elected its last Democratic Mayor, David Dinkins. Since that time, middle class and low-income workers have lost a lot of ground, including jobs, wages, affordable housing, and benefits, while the city’s richest are enjoying record profits.

“It doesn’t have to be this way,” emphasized de Blasio during a recent visit to Local 237 where he was endorsed by the Executive Board and Teamsters Joint Council 16. “It’s not divisive, it’s immoral not to talk about the level of inequality in New York, the challenge of our own time.” De Blasio gave credit to the unions for creating the middle class and vowed to be “out there building this labor movement with you.”

De Blasio also thanked public employees for their service, adding that he has a sense of partnership and respect for “the people doing the work; they are the reason the city works”

 

Endorsements for the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 5President Gregory Floyd and the Executive Board carefully studied the candidates running in the General Election to determine their positions on issues of importance to members. Below is a list of the candidates they endorsed, based on their record of support for public employees.  Mayor: Bill de Blasio Comptroller: Scott Stringer Public Advocate: Letitia James (Candidates are Democrats unless noted with an R) State Assembly 86th District: Victor Pichardo Borough President Bronx: Ruben Diaz Jr. Manhattan: Gale Brewer Queens: Melinda Katz Staten Island: James Oddo (R) City Council District Candidate 1 Margaret Chin 2 Rosie Mendez 3 Corey Johnson 4 Daniel Garodnick 5 Ben Kallos 6 Helen K. Rosenthal 7 Mark Levine 8 Melissa Mark-Viverito 9 Inez Dickens 10 Ydanis Rodriguez 11 Andrew Cohen 12 Andy King 13 James Vacca 14 Fernando Cabrera 15 Ritchie Torres 16 Vanessa Gibson 17 Maria del Carmen Arroyo 18 Annabel Palma 20 Peter Koo 21 Julissa Ferreras 22 Costa Constantinides 23 Mark Weprin 24 Rory Lancman 25 Daniel Dromm 26 Jimmy Van Bramer 27 Daneek Miller 28 Ruben Wills 29 Karen Koslowitz 30 Elizabeth Crowley 31 Donovan Richards 33 Stephen Levin 34 Antonio Reynoso 35 Laurie Cumbo 36 Robert E. Cornegy, Jr. 37 Rafael Espinal 38 Carlos Menchaca 39 Brad Lander 40 Mathieu Eugene 41 Darlene Mealy 42 Inez D. Barron 43 Vincent Gentile 44 David G. Greenfield 45 Jumaane Williams 46 Alan Maisel 47 Mark Treyger 48 Chaim Deutsch 49 Deborah Rose 50 Steve Matteo (R) 51 Vincent M. Ignizio (R) Nassau County Legislature 1 Kevan Abrahams 3 Carrié Solages Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice Suffolk County Legislature 14 Kevin McCaffrey (R)